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Debuting in its first edition, The Polarized Publictakes an in-depth look at the seemingly irreconcilable divide between Republicans and Democrats and argues that bi-partisanship remains elusive, not because of politicians in the capitol, but because of the American public and their fixation on party membership and loyalty. How did this intense polarization develop? How has it influenced the current political climate? How will it evolve and affect the upcoming presidential and congressional elections? Alan Abramowitz addresses all of these questions among others in this new, eye-opening addition to The Great Questions in Politics series.

Alan I. Abramowitz is the Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science at * Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of five books, dozens of book chapters and articles in scholarly journals dealing with American political parties, elections, and voting behavior as well as numerous essays for newspapers, magazines and blogs on contemporary American politics.

Preface

p. xi

Acknowledgments

p. xxi

The Polarized Public

p. 1

The Debate: Elite versus Mass Polarization

p. 5

Evidence for Mass Polarization: The Case of Health Care Reform

p. 9

Constraint and Polarization

p. 12

Explaining the Rise of Mass Polarization

p. 13

The Racial Divide

p. 18

The Racial Divide in 2008

p. 21

The Racial Transformation of the American Party System

p. 24

The Rise of the Nonwhite Electorate

p. 26

Race and the Rise of Polarization

p. 29

The Racial Divide and Ideological Polarization

p. 33

Chapter Summary

p. 35

The Ideological Divide

p. 36

Ideological Realignment and the Demise of the New Deal Party System

p. 37

The Rise of Ideological Polarization

p. 42

Sorting versus Polarization

p. 45

Issue Constraint and Polarization

p. 50

Political Engagement, Constraint, and Polarization: Evidence from 2010

p. 54

Polarized Positions or Polarized Choices?

p. 56

Chapter Summary

p. 60

The Cultural Divide

p. 62

Explaining the Religious Divide: The Rise of Abortion as a Political Issue

p. 68

Cultural Issues in 2008: Abortion and Gay Rights

p. 74

Growing Consistency between Cultural and Economic Issues

p. 77

Cultural Issues, Economic Issues, and Party Identification

p. 80

Chapter Summary

p. 82

The Geographic Divide

p. 83

Explaining the Red-Blue Divide

p. 87

The Red-Blue Divide and Presidential Elections

p. 90

The Growing Red-Blue Divide in the Senate

p. 92

The Growing Red-Blue Divide in the House of Representatives

p. 95

Chapter Summary

p. 100

The Polarized Public and the Rise of the Tea Party Movement

p. 101

Brewing the Tea: The Growth of the Conservative Republican Base, 1972-2008

p. 104

Drinking the Tea: Analyzing Public Support for the Tea Party Movement in 2010